News

A night on the tiles

Is dance misfit James Murphy too cool for school or just discovering his inner child?

Twenty-five minutes after they were due on stage, LCD Soundsystem are reluctant to leave the party in their dressing room. James Murphy, the New York band's garrulous front man and founder, greets every new arrival with the words: "Would you like an espresso martini?" The 37-year-old, in the same grubby T-shirt, jeans and trainers he has been wearing all day, has been mixing these lethally strong cocktails for a while now, and the atmosphere is wired. This does not look like a band with a show to perform. But the normal rules don't apply in LCD land, and that is just how Murphy likes it. In fact, he has spent his whole life trying to reach this state of affairs.

"Oh, self-effacing, don't forget that," the singer says as we run through the list of descriptions that usually attach themselves to him. Add to that grumpy, bear-like, too cool for